B-17, B-24, B-29, or Lancaster?

Both the B-25 G & H models incorporated a 75mm cannon, but I believe two different types - one might have been made by Oldsmobile. Neither was very successful and neither was a 'howitzer'. They were often removed in the field. Slow rate of fire, frequent jams, and severly limited magazine (20 rounds) made it a doubtful weapon.

The H model sported 8 .50 cal MGs in the nose plus an additional 4 .50 cal guns in 'nose blisters' affixed to the sides below the pilot compartment. Two more were available in the dorsal turret for a total of 14 forward firing 50 MGs ! Such a bullet storm could sink thin skinned ships by itself and wreaked havoc with shipboard AAA as well as anyone in/on the upper decks. Also made them formidable straffing weapons against ground targets, too. >MW

Both the B-25 G & H models incorporated a 75mm cannon, but I believe two different types - one might have been made by Oldsmobile. Neither was very successful and neither was a 'howitzer'. They were often removed in the field. Slow rate of fire, frequent jams, and severly limited magazine (20 rounds) made it a doubtful weapon.

The H model sported 8 .50 cal MGs in the nose plus an additional 4 .50 cal guns in 'nose blisters' affixed to the sides below the pilot compartment. Two more were available in the dorsal turret for a total of 14 forward firing 50 MGs ! Such a bullet storm could sink thin skinned ships by itself and wreaked havoc with shipboard AAA as well as anyone in/on the upper decks. Also made them formidable straffing weapons against ground targets, too. >MW

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I was beginning to wonder if anyone in this thread knew the difference between a howitzer and a cannon - thanks for restoring my faith in humanity!

I'm a BIG WWII buff and probably have seen every History, Military Channel and every other show out there on WWII.

The European Theater was the real media show in WWII so a lot was shown, at least for the US audience of the Eigth Air Force and all the B-17 raids into Germany. Plus the B-17 was mass produced in American factories! A sturdy work horse with many, many sorties -but- I think the Lancaster was a better overall bomber.

On the B-24 and B-25 it depends on usage but overall the B-25 was faster and basically turned into an 8 (or more) .50 cal gunship that could drop bombs...nasty combimation! Tore the Japanese up in the Pacific.

B-29 was an engineering marvel, perfect for carrying massive bombloads to burn Toyko and Japan down and killed more people than Fat Man and Little Boy together....which the B-29 was well suited to drop.

Best overall plane that won the war? The P-51 Mustang! Ford even named it's new 1964 car after it...not a pony which is what caught on.

(also the Chevy Corvette was named after the WWII Corvette class ships, hmmm)

I think the B-17 was best because it could take so much damage and still keep flying.Here is a picture I snapped at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas at an airshow.I paid a $20 donation to go up inside of it.It's really small in there and you had to stoop down to walk around in it.

My favorite bomber of the war was the B-25 though. The Doolittle raid showed how brave its pilots were and the MANY armament plans (including a howitzer mounted in the nose of some) may not have made it the best, but it sure was COOL.

My son and I infront of a perfectly restored B-17G, which maintains active Air Force registration so the crew can maintain live guns. Yes, the guns are live and loaded...firing circuits disabled, this from the gentleman who flew this plane after the war.

Better view.

The gent in the red hat was the copilot I spoke of earlier, and the gent in the wheelchair was a B-17 navigator in WWII, who spent time in a Nazi prisoner of war camp.

The plane is in 100% condition. All that would be needed it to drain the preservation fluids, fill the oil and gas, charge the batteries...and figure out how to get it out to a runway.

The B-24 is nice, but not was well restored, still very nice. Yes, not as flashy, but a workhorse plane for certain.

My son was unimpressed with the B-29, seen behind the Oscar - he was very disappointed there wasn't a Zero there...

I found some restorers who MIGHT someday have a Zero propeller blade I might be able to buy and hang in his room.

I have to also vote emotionally, and say B-17, though the Superfortress was a far better bomber that went on for many years.

Of course the only one my family was in was one just like this.

My stepfather was a radio operator in a C-47 during the Normandy invasion, and was one of the guys trying desperately to keep Patton supplied with gasoline. I know, not a bomber...

The British Avro Lancaster bomber shares first place with the American Boeing B-17 as the best-known heavy bomber of World War II. This "shared position" is the result of each aircraft excelling in different aspects: although the B-17 was better armed than the Lancaster, the Lancaster could carry a much higher bomb load, and although the Lancaster delivered this larger load with a smaller crew, the B-17 crew had a better chance to get out alive in case the aircraft had to be abandoned by parachute. More than six decades after the end or WWII there are fewer and fewer octogenarians left who have actually flown either or both aeroplanes, so a comparison straight from the horses mouth is hard to get nowadays.

Fortunately I vividly remember the words of a now long-dead Lancaster pilot who had also flown just about everything else that was capable of taking to the air in the Second World War: "The Lancaster was the most boring bomber I ever flew. She had no character, no temperament, no vices... simply the dullest plane one could imagine flying. And that is exactly how war time pilots like their bombers: docile, trustworthy, doing exactly as they're told, without a will of their own".......

Nice pictures Armoredman!Is that the Air Museum in Tucson.I have a large collection of aviation VHS and DVD's.Many are of combat dogfights and ground attacks.One comes to mind that shows ME-109's and FW-190's shooting B-17's and B-24's to pieces with parts of the tails and wings flying off.Tracers with large caliber rounds riddled the bombers in the tail gunner spot and fuselage.It was sad to watch when you know some of those guys were dying.Some of the films showed the fighters only shooting out the engines.I had an Uncle that was a B-17 gunner.I remember talking to him in the 1970's because I was an airplane nut but he really never talked about any of his service flying over Germany at all.I used to ride my bicycle when I was around 12 several miles to look at airplanes and watch them land.

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